Even a Gnosis Could Be Traded

After hearing Yucheng's words, Xiao gradually calmed down and sat weakly on the table, his face a mixture of emotions, dejected and grief-stricken.

At that moment, Xiao looked nothing like the Conqueror of Demons who had commanded awe for centuries upon centuries. Instead, he looked like a frail, slight youth, utterly powerless and disappointed.

Seeing his dejected state, Yucheng comforted him. "Rest assured, Lord Bosacius did not disgrace the yakshas' illustrious name. He reclaimed all his dignity before he died. I can tell you his final words."

Xiao suddenly raised his head at that, looking at Yucheng with expectant eyes.

"My name is Bosacius. It means: life is but a fleeting instant; all things must be relinquished!"

Those words made Xiao believe Yucheng's account completely. No outsider could possibly have known them without hearing them firsthand.

After hearing those words, Xiao turned to face Yucheng and took several deep breaths, forcibly holding back the hot tears brimming in his eyes. But he found he could not control his emotions, so his figure flickered, and he vanished on the spot.

Yucheng could tell that the proud Adeptus Xiao did not want to show weakness in front of others and had gone somewhere out of sight to vent his emotions. He would certainly return afterward, so Yucheng waited where he was.

Sure enough, only a few short minutes passed before Xiao suddenly reappeared, giving Yucheng a fright. That ability to come and go without a trace really was enviable.

The mask was back on Xiao's face now, and his whole body exuded an air of ruthless decisiveness.

"Since you just said the timing was wrong, I would like to ask: when will the time be right for you to tell me where Bosacius is?"

"Two conditions need to be met. The first is suppressing the karmic debt within you. Bosacius lies in a dangerous place, where even an adeptus at full strength risks perishing. The karmic debt within you has already reached the point where it leaks out even when you suppress it with all your strength. Your combat strength is unstable.

"Rex Lapis presumably knows your current physical condition as well. He does not wish to sacrifice the only surviving yaksha for one who has already died."

"But even Rex Lapis cannot eradicate the karmic debt within me. What could possibly suppress it?"

Yucheng smiled faintly. "Could you stop looking only within Liyue? Just because the Geo Archon cannot do something does not mean the other gods cannot. For instance... the one who shares the source of your Vision."

Yucheng's words suddenly stirred a memory in Xiao. Once, after fighting through the night in Dihua Marsh, he had been utterly exhausted. On his way back, the resentment of fallen gods within him had seized the opportunity to flare up, and boundless hatred had battered his mind. He had thought that, in the end, he would follow in Indarias's footsteps and succumb to madness, and so he had given up resisting.

But unexpectedly, the clear, beautiful sound of a flute had crossed countless mountains and rivers to reach his ears. It had immediately suppressed his endless pain, soothed his restless mind, and brought him a moment of peace.

Whose flute could have such a miraculous effect? In truth, he already had a vague answer in his heart. Apart from the Anemo Archon far away in Mondstadt, surely no one else capable of helping him could play a flute with such power.

"Are you saying I should go to Mondstadt and seek out the Anemo Archon to suppress my karmic debt? Hmph, ridiculous. Setting aside my contract with Rex Lapis, which forbids me from leaving Liyue, what sort of exalted figure is the Anemo Archon? Why would he save a stranger like me? What would he gain from saving me?"

"Why are you just as stubborn as Ganyu? No wonder Qiqi said your name sounded like an old relic. I never expected you to be even more of one than your name.

"Ganyu's contract with Rex Lapis is to seek the greatest possible well-being for the people of Liyue, yet she interpreted it as diligently working for Liyue for over three thousand years without pay.

"You are even worse. Your contract with Rex Lapis is to protect Liyue, isn't it? Yet you took that too far and interpreted it as never setting a single foot outside. Where did Rex Lapis find such a dedicated, responsible bunch of employees?"

"Do not speak ill of Rex Lapis, or do not blame me for showing no courtesy." Xiao pointed the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear at Yucheng and spoke sternly.

"All right, all right, I apologize. Let me explain it this way. Suppose you are ill, and your boss, Rex Lapis, has no way to treat that illness. But the Anemo Archon in Mondstadt can treat it. You ask your boss for some leave, go to Mondstadt for treatment, and then come back able to devote yourself even more fully to protecting Liyue and working for it for another thousand years.

"That sounds pretty good, doesn't it? But if you keep putting off treatment, with your current physical condition, forget a thousand years-you would be lucky to last another ten. As a wise god, surely Rex Lapis would not refuse to let a sick subordinate seek treatment?

"Think about it yourself. Is it better to work in good health for a thousand years, or work sick for ten years and then die of illness? Besides, you are an adeptus. With your speed, a round trip from here to Mondstadt would not even take a day, would it? Even if you asked for leave, how many days could you possibly need?"

Xiao could not help freezing when he heard this. Although he wore a mask, Yucheng could imagine how spectacular the expression beneath it must have been. He really wanted to reach out and take the mask off.

"Hmph! E-even if what you say is true, the Anemo Archon is such an exalted figure. How could he possibly help me so readily? Besides, the Anemo Archon of Mondstadt is said to have not appeared for a thousand years. Mondstadt is so vast. How am I supposed to find him?"

"Oh, that? Finding him is easy. Mondstadt has two taverns. One is called the Angel's Share, and the other is called the Cat's Tail Tavern. Just stake out those two taverns and see who the heaviest-drinking boozer is."

Xiao asked in surprise, "Are you saying... the Anemo Archon is a drunkard?"

"Tch, why not? A certain someone is even a consultant. They are gods. They can be whatever they want."

Hearing the word "consultant" from Yucheng's mouth, Xiao immediately grew serious and asked suspiciously, "Why does it feel like you know everything? Who exactly are you?"

"Me? At present, I am a temporary herb gatherer at Bubu Pharmacy. Qiqi is my senior."

Xiao looked at Qiqi beside them. Naturally, he knew this zombie. Back then, he and the other adepti had each bestowed a strand of adeptal energy and sealed it within her body, turning the originally dying Qiqi into a special zombie. It was precisely because he had seen Qiqi that he had appeared today. Otherwise, if a single serving of almond tofu were enough to make him appear, would he not be far too cheap?

"As for the price of getting the Anemo Archon to help, you can ask Rex Lapis or the other adepti whether they still have any adeptal wine, preferably fine wine aged in a cellar for a thousand years. The Anemo Archon these days loves wine as much as life itself. If you have wine good enough, never mind getting him to treat you-he would probably even trade his Gnosis for it."